Revista Latinoamericana de Psicología (2017) 49, 80---87

Revista Latinoamericana
de Psicología
www.elsevier.es/rlp

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Psychometric properties of the Cognitive Fusion

Questionnaire in Colombia
Francisco J. Ruiz a,∗ , Juan C. Suárez-Falcón b , Diana Riaño-Hernández a , David Gillanders c

a
Fundación Universitaria Konrad Lorenz, Colombia
b
Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Spain
c
School of Health in Social Science, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Received 28 March 2016; accepted 22 September 2016

Available online 27 October 2016

KEYWORDS Abstract The Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire (CFQ) is a recently published measure of cogni-
Cognitive Fusion tive fusion --- a key construct in the model of psychopathology of acceptance and commitment
Questionnaire; therapy (ACT). This study presents the psychometric properties and factor structure data of
Acceptance and a Spanish translation of the CFQ in Colombia. Three samples with a total of 1,763 partici-
commitment therapy; pants were analyzed. The Spanish CFQ showed psychometric properties very similar to the
Cognitive fusion; ones obtained in the original version. Internal consistency across the different samples was
Psychological good (Cronbach’s alpha between .89 and .93). The one-factor model found in the original scale
flexibility showed a good fit to the data. Measurement invariance was also found across sample and gen-
der. The mean score of the clinical sample on the CFQ was significantly higher than the scores of
the nonclinical samples. CFQ scores were significantly related to experiential avoidance, emo-
tional symptoms, mindfulness, and life satisfaction. The CFQ was sensitive to the effects of a
1-session ACT intervention. This Spanish version of the CFQ shows good psychometric properties
in Colombia.
© 2016 Fundación Universitaria Konrad Lorenz. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. This is an
open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
nc-nd/4.0/).

PALABRAS CLAVE Propiedades psicométricas del Cuestionario de Fusión Cognitiva en Colombia

Cuestionario de
Fusión Cognitiva; Resumen El Cuestionario de Fusión Cognitiva (CFQ) es una medida de fusión cognitiva recien-
Terapia de aceptación temente publicada; un constructo clave en el modelo de psicopatología de la terapia de
y compromiso; aceptación y compromiso. El presente estudio muestra las propiedades psicométricas y estruc-
tura factorial de una traducción al español del CFQ en Colombia. Se analizaron tres muestras con

∗ Corresponding author.
E-mail address: franciscoj.ruizj@konradlorenz.edu.co (F.J. Ruiz).

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rlp.2016.09.006
0120-0534/© 2016 Fundación Universitaria Konrad Lorenz. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. This is an open access article under the CC
BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Psychometric properties of the CFQ in Colombia 81

un total de 1763 participantes. La versión en español del CFQ mostró resultados muy similares
Fusión cognitiva; a los obtenidos en la versión original. La consistencia interna a través de las distintas muestras
Flexibilidad fue buena (alfa de Cronbach entre .89 y .93). El modelo unifactorial encontrado en la escala
psicológica original mostró un buen ajuste a los datos. Se encontró invarianza de la medida a través de
muestras y sexo. La puntuación media de la muestra clínica en el CFQ fue significativamente
mayor que las puntuaciones de las muestras no clínicas. Las puntuaciones en el CFQ estuvieron
significativamente correlacionadas con evitación experiencial, síntomas emocionales, mind-
fulness y satisfacción vital. El CFQ fue sensible a los efectos de una intervención de terapia
de aceptación y compromiso de una sesión. Esta versión en español del CFQ mostró buenas
propiedades psicométricas en Colombia.
© 2016 Fundación Universitaria Konrad Lorenz. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. Este es un
artı́culo Open Access bajo la licencia CC BY-NC-ND (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
nc-nd/4.0/).

Cognitive fusion is a central construct of the Accep-
tance and Commitment Therapy (ACT; Hayes, Strosahl, &
Wilson, 1999) --- a model of psychopathology and behav-
ioral ineffectiveness. Cognitive fusion is a verbal process
whereby individuals become entangled in their thinking and
evaluations, judgements and memories and behave accord-
ing to the derived functions of these private experiences.
In other words, private experiences dominate subsequent
behavior, thereby preventing other sources of stimulus con-
trol from influencing behavior (Gillanders et al., 2014;
Luciano, Valdivia-Salas, & Ruiz, 2012; Törneke, Luciano,
Barnes-Holmes, & Bond, 2016). When private experiences
are aversive, fusion usually leads to experiential avoidance
strategies (e.g., suppression, distraction, worry, rumination,
etc.) in order to reduce this discomfort. These short term
avoidance strategies are thereby negatively reinforced. Peo-
ple will often continue applying experiential avoidance
strategies in response to aversive private experiences lead-
ing to entrapment in the experiential avoidance loops
characteristics of psychological disorders (Hayes, Wilson,
Gifford, Follette, & Strosahl, 1996).
For instance, consider the case of a person who begins
to derive thoughts concerning the possibility of developing
a psychotic disorder because of the similar characteristics
between her and a person she has just met who suffer from
schizophrenia (e.g., similar personality, interests, physical
appearance, etc.). Fused behavior with these thoughts may
lead the person to do something like visiting internet web-
pages to analyze the likelihood of developing schizophrenia,
asking for a professional opinion, avoiding conversations
about mental disorders, hypervigilant scanning for unusual
perceptual experiences, hyper arousal leading to autonomic
reactivity, sleep disturbance, etc. At the same time, the per-
son could avoid social stigma associated with mental illness
by not sharing these concerns with others, reducing oppor-
tunities for reality checking, corrective perspectives, etc.
If this pattern of fused behavior with thoughts related to
schizophrenia is followed, the person may enter an experi-
ential avoidance loop and stop performing valued actions.
Given the prominence of cognitive fusion in the under-
lying theory, ACT posits a great emphasis in promoting
cognitive defusion, which is the process of taking a detached
perspective on private experiences, and unhooking behav-
ior from said events, such that other sources of stimulus
control influence behavior in accordance with personal val-
ues instead of experiential avoidance (Levin, Luoma, &
Haeger, 2015; Törneke et al., 2016).
Given the importance of cognitive fusion, several self-
report measures of fusion have been validated in the last few
years. These include the Believability of Anxious Feelings
and Thoughts (BAFT; Herzberg et al., 2012; Ruiz, Odriozola-
González, & Suárez-Falcón, 2014) and the Cognitive Fusion
Questionnaire (CFQ; Gillanders et al., 2014). While BAFT is
contextualized to anxiety, the CFQ has the advantage that it
is a general measure of cognitive fusion that can be applied
to diverse situations.
A Spanish version of the CFQ already exists (Romero-
Moreno, Márquez-González, Losada, Gillanders, &
Fernández-Fernández, 2014), but it was validated in
Spain with a relatively small sample of caregivers. Accord-
ingly, further psychometric analyses are needed to explore
the properties of the CFQ in more diverse samples and in
other Spanish speaking countries. Indeed, testing measures
in culturally diverse samples enhances both our confidence
in the measure and the cross-cultural relevance of the
underlying theory being measured (Elosua, Mujika, Almeida,
& Hermosilla, 2014). The current study aimed to analyze
the psychometric properties of a Spanish version of the
CFQ in Colombia. A small pilot study was first conducted to
enhance the cultural sensitivity of the Spanish version of
the CFQ. Subsequently, the CFQ was administered to three
samples (total N = 1763): a sample of 762 undergraduates, a
sample of 724 Colombian people recruited through internet,
and a clinical sample of 277 participants. An additional small
sample (N = 11) was used to explore whether the CFQ scores
were sensitive to the effect of a 1-session ACT intervention
to reduce maladaptive worry and rumination. We expected
the CFQ to show similar psychometric characteristics in
Colombia the original scale.
Method
Participants
Sample 1. This sample consisted of 762 undergraduates
(age range 18---63, M = 21.16, SD = 3.76) from seven uni-
versities of Bogotá. Forty-six percent of the participants
82
in the sample were studying Psychology. The other
studies included Law, Engineering, Philosophy, Communica-
tion, Business, Medicine, and Theology. Sixty-two percent
were women. Of the overall sample, 26% of the participants
had received psychological or psychiatric treatment at some
time, but only 4.3% were currently in treatment. Also, 2.9%
of participants were taking some psychotropic medication.
Sample 2. The sample consisted of 724 participants
(74.4% females) with age ranging between 18 and 88 years
(M = 26.11, SD = 8.93). The relative educational level of the
participants was 17.8% primary studies (i.e., compulsory
education) or mid-level study graduates (i.e., high school
or vocational training), 63.8% were undergraduates or col-
lege graduates, and 18.4% were currently studying or had a
graduate degree. All the participants were Colombian and
they responded to an anonymous internet survey distributed
through social media. Forty-five percent reported having
received psychological or psychiatric treatment at some
time, but only 8.4% were currently in treatment. Also, 5.4%
of participants reported using psychotropic medication.
Sample 3. Sample three consisted of 277 patients (64.6%
of them were women) with an age range of 18---67 years
(M = 28.50, SD = 11.22), suffering from emotional (88.4%)
or sexual disorders (11.6%) according to the information
gathered from their therapists. All participants were being
evaluated in a private psychological consultation center.
Only 6.3% of the participants reported that they were using
psychotropic medication.
Sample 4. This sample consisted of 11 participants
(2 men, mean age = 22.18, SD = 4.40, age range: 18---32)
who participated in a randomized multiple-baseline study
that analyzed the effect of a 1-session ACT intervention to
disrupt problematic worry and rumination. The relative edu-
cational level of the participants was as follows: one with
mid-level study graduates, six undergraduate students, and
4 were college graduates. The participants were recruited
through advertisements in social media and stated that they
had spent at least 6 months entangled in thoughts, memo-
ries, and/or worries that provoked significant interference
in at least two life areas. They were not receiving psycho-
logical or psychiatric treatment. Additional information of
the inclusion and exclusion criteria can be seen in Ruiz,
Riaño-Hernández, Suárez-Falcón, and Luciano (2016).
Instruments
Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire (CFQ; Gillanders et al.,
2014). The CFQ is a 7-item, 7-point Likert-type scale
(7 = always; 1 = never true) that measures general cogni-
tive fusion. Higher scores reflect higher degree of cognitive
fusion. The English validation of the CFQ showed that it
possesses a one-factor structure, good reliability, temporal
stability, convergent, divergent, and discriminant valid-
ity, and sensitivity to treatment effects. The CFQ showed
strong positive correlations with measures of experiential
avoidance, frequency of negative thoughts, depression and
anxiety symptoms, burnout, etc. Conversely, CFQ scores
showed negative correlations with measures of mindfulness
skills and life satisfaction.
The Spanish version by Romero-Moreno et al. (2014)
showed a one-factor structure, good internal consistency
F.J. Ruiz et al.
(Cronbach’s alpha of .87), and convergent validity. A small
pilot study was conducted to enhance the cultural sensi-
tivity of the Spanish version of the CFQ. Specifically, ten
Colombian undergraduates were asked to rate item clar-
ity and simplicity, and suggest possible changes to adapt
the language to the Colombian culture. The undergraduates
rated the items as highly understandable and suggested
minor changes to the wording of some items mostly related
to gender (it is not very common in Colombia to write sen-
tences including both genders, therefore only the generic
masculine was used). Item 7 was slightly changed to more
accurately capture the sense of being caught up by thoughts.
Table 2 presents the items used in this study (see Table 2).
Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II; Bond
et al., 2011; Spanish translation by Ruiz, Langer, Luciano,
Cangas, & Beltrán, 2013). The AAQ-II is a 7-item, 7-point
Likert-type scale (7 = always; 1 = never true) that measures
general experiential avoidance or psychological inflexibil-
ity. The items reflect unwillingness to experience unwanted
emotions and thoughts and the inability to be in the present
moment and behave according to value-directed actions
when experiencing unwanted psychological events. The
Spanish version by Ruiz, Suárez-Falcón, Cárdenas-Sierra,
et al. (2016) showed good psychometric properties (mean
alpha of .90) and a one-factor structure in Colombian sam-
ples. In this study, Cronbach’s alphas were .88, .91, and .93
for Samples 1---3, respectively. We expected the AAQ-II and
CFQ to show very strong positive correlations according to
previous evidence (Gillanders et al., 2014).
Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21;
Antony, Bieling, Cox, Enns, & Swinson, 1998; Spanish version
by Daza, Novy, Stanley, & Averill, 2002). The DASS-21 is a 21-
item, 4-point Likert-type scale (3 = applied to me very much,
or most of the time; 0 = did not apply to me at all) consisting
of sentences describing negative emotional states. It con-
tains three subscales (Depression, Anxiety, and Stress) and
has shown good internal consistency and convergent and dis-
criminant validity. Alpha values in this study were good for
all subscales (for the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress sub-
scales, respectively, Sample 1: .86, .80, and .80; Sample 2:
.92, .85, and .86; Sample 3: .92, .85, and .90). We expected
that the CFQ would show strong positive correlations with
all the DASS-21 subscales.
Satisfaction with Life Survey (SWLS; Diener, Emmons,
Larsen, & Griffin, 1985; Spanish version by Atienza, Pons,
Balaguer, & García-Merita, 2000). The SWLS is a 5-item,
7-point Likert-type scale (7 = strongly agree; 1 = strongly dis-
agree) that measures self-perceived well-being. The SWLS
has good psychometric properties and convergent validity.
Alpha values in this study for the SWLS were good (Sample
1: .85; Sample 2: .89; Sample 3: .84). According to previ-
ous evidence (Gillanders et al., 2014), we expected medium
to strong negative correlations between the SWLS and CFQ
scores.
Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS; Brown &
Ryan, 2003; Spanish version by Soler et al., 2012). The MAAS
is a 15-item, 6-point Likert-type scale (6 = almost never;
1 = almost never) designed to measure the extent to which
individuals pay attention during several tasks or, in contrast,
behave on ‘‘autopilot’’ mode, i.e., without paying enough
attention thereto. The MAAS does not require familiarity
with meditation. Higher scores indicate greater mindfulness
Psychometric properties of the CFQ in Colombia
level. The MAAS has shown good psychometric properties
and a one-factor structure in a Colombian sample (Ruiz,
Suárez-Falcón, & Riaño-Hernández, 2016). Cronbach’s alpha
of the MAAS in this study was .92. We expected moderate
to strong negative correlations between the CFQ and MAAS
scores.
Dysfunctional Attitude Scale-Revised (DAS-R; de Graaf,
Roelofs, & Huibers, 2009; Spanish version by Ruiz et al.,
2015). The DAS is a classic measure of dysfunctional
schemata. The revised version of the DAS is a 17-item, 7-
point Likert-type scale (7 = fully agree; 1 = fully disagree)
grouped in two factors: Perfectionism/Performance evalu-
ation and Dependency. In a Colombian sample, the DAS-R
showed excellent psychometric properties and a factor
structure with two-correlated factors and a second-order
factor (Ruiz, Suárez-Falcón, Barón-Rincón, et al., 2016).
In this study, the DAS-R showed an alpha of .91. Accord-
ing to previous evidence of the relation of dysfunctional
schemas with experiential avoidance and cognitive fusion
(e.g., Ruiz & Odriozola-González, 2015, 2016), we expected
the CFQ and DAS-R to show moderate to strong positive
correlations.
Procedure
In Sample 1, the administration of the questionnaire package
was conducted in the participants’ classrooms during the
beginning of a regular class. Participants in Sample 2
responded to an anonymous internet survey distributed
through social media. Lastly, participants in Sample 3
responded to the questionnaires during one of the clinical
assessment interviews at the beginning of the treatment in
the presence of their therapist.
In Samples 1---3, the participants provided informed
consent and were provided with a questionnaire packet.
Participants in Sample 1 responded to the CFQ, AAQ-II, DASS-
21, MAAS, DAS-R, and SWLS. Participants in Samples 2 and
3 responded to the CFQ, AAQ-II, SWLS, and DASS-21. Upon
completion of the study, the participants were debriefed
about the aims of the study and thanked for their participa-
tion.
The participants in Sample 4 completed a baseline period
ranging between 2 and 10 weeks and then received an ACT
intervention specifically oriented to disrupt problematic
worry and rumination. After that, the participants com-
pleted follow-up measures for 6 weeks. The ACT protocol
consisted of an approximately 75-min, individual session.
The main objectives of the protocol were: (a) to identify
triggers for worrying/ruminating and experiential avoidance
strategies related to them, (b) to promote creative hope-
lessness regarding the counterproductive effect of engaging
in worry/rumination and the other experiential avoidance
strategies, (c) to promote values clarification and the com-
mitment to valued actions, and (d) to introduce defusion
training.
Data analysis
Prior to conducting factor analyses, data from Samples 1
to 3 were screened for missing values. Only two values of
the CFQ were missing (one for item 1 and 6, respectively).
83
These data were imputed using the matching response pat-
tern method of LISREL© (version 8.71, Jöreskog & Sörbom,
1999), which was the software used to conduct the confirm-
atory factor analyses (CFA). In this imputation method, the
value to be substituted for the missing value of a single case
is obtained from another case (or cases) having a similar
response pattern over the seven items of the CFQ.
Because the CFQ uses a Likert-type scale measured on
an ordinal scale, a weighted least squares (WLS) estimation
method using polychoric correlations was used in conduct-
ing CFA. The WLS method is recommended in large samples
with fewer than 20 items as in the current study (Jöreskog
& Sörbom, 1996). We computed the chi-square test and the
following goodness of fit indexes for the one-factor model:
(a) the Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA);
(b) the Comparative Fit Index (CFI); and (c) the Non-Normed
Fit Index (NNFI). According to Kelloway (1998) and Hu and
Bentler (1999), RMSEA values below .10 represent an accept-
able fit, and values below .05 represent a very good fit to
the data. With respect to the CFI and NNFI, values above .90
indicate acceptable-fitting models, and above .95 represent
a good fit to the data.
As in Gillanders et al. (2014), additional CFA were per-
formed to test for measurement invariance across samples
and gender. In other words, we analyzed whether the item
factor loadings are invariant across the three samples and
between men and women. In so doing, the relative fit of two
models was compared. The first model (the multiple-group
baseline model) allowed the seven unstandardized factor
loadings to vary across the three samples and across men
and women, whereas the second model (constrained model)
placed equality constraints (i.e., invariance) on those load-
ings. Equality constraints were not placed on estimates of
the factor variances because these are known to vary across
groups even when the indicators are measuring the same
construct in a similar manner (Kline, 2005). The parsimo-
nious model (constrained model) would be selected if the
following four criteria suggested by Cheung and Rensvold
(2002) and Chen (2007) were met: (a) the constrained
model did not generate a significantly worse fit than the
unconstrained model (the multiple-group baseline model)
according to the chi-square test; (b) the difference in RMSEA
(RMSEA) was lower than .01; (c) the difference in CFI
(CFI) was greater than −.01; and (d) the difference in NNFI
(NNFI) was greater than −.01.
The remaining statistical analyses were performed on
SPSS 19©. Cronbach’s alphas were computed providing 95%
confidence intervals (CI) to explore the internal consistency
of the CFQ in Samples 1 to 3 and the overall sample. Cor-
rected item-total correlations were obtained to identify
items that should be removed because of low discrimina-
tion item index (i.e., values below .20). Descriptive data
were also calculated, and gender differences in CFQ scores
were explored by computing Student’s t. To examine cri-
terion validity, scores on the CFQ were compared between
participants in Sample 1 and 2 (nonclinical participants) to
participants in Sample 3 (clinical participants). Pearson cor-
relations between the CFQ and other scales were calculated
to assess convergent construct validity. Lastly, to explore
whether the CFQ scores were sensitive to the effects of a
1-session ACT intervention, Student’s t-tests for depend-
ent data were conducted between the last CFQ score of
84 F.J. Ruiz et al.

Table 1 Measurement invariance across samples and gender.

Model ␹2 df ␹2 df RMSEA RMSEA CFI CFI NNFI NNFI
Measurement invariance across samples
MG baseline model 156.00 42 .068 .99 .98
Constrained model 182.06 54 26.06 12 .064 .004 .98 −.01 .98 .00
Measurement invariance across gender
MG baseline model 138.81 28 .067 .99 .98
Constrained model 146.80 34 7.99 6 .062 .005 .99 .00 .98 .00

participants’ baseline and the 6-week follow-up. Cohen’s d .82

Item 1 .32
for within-participant studies was also computed.

.86
Results Item 2 .25

Factor structure .79

Item 3 .37

The fit of the one-factor model found in Gillanders et al.

(2014) was adequate for all samples and the goodness-of- Cognitive .85
1.00 Item 4 .28
fit indexes were good (Sample 1: 2 = 53.17, df = 14, p < .01; fusion
RMSEA = .061, 90% CI [.044, .078]; CFI = .98; NNFI = .97;
Sample 2: 2 = 72.40, df = 14, p < .01; RMSEA = .076, 90% .86
Item 5 .27
CI [.059, .094]; CFI = .99; NNFI = .98; Sample 3: 2 = 30.44,
df = 14, p < .01; RMSEA = .065, 90% CI [.033, .097]; CFI = .99;
.88
NNFI = .99). For the overall sample, the goodness-of- Item 6 .23
fit indexes were also good (2 = 135.56, df = 14, p < .01;
RMSEA = .070, 90% CI [.060, .081]; CFI = .98; NNFI = .98). .83 Item 7 .32
Fig. 1 depicts the results of the standardized solution of the
one-factor model.
Figure 1 Results on the confirmatory factor analysis con-
ducted with the overall sample to analyze the fit of a one-factor
Measurement invariance model.

Table 1 shows that the multiple-group baseline models fit

the data well, with all values of the goodness-of-fit indexes
suggesting good-fitting solutions. When equality constraints
were placed on the factor loadings, there was no significant
decrement in goodness of fit, suggesting that the measures
were invariant across samples and gender. With respect to
measurement invariance across samples, all the criteria rec-
ommended by Cheung and Rensvold (2002) and Chen (2007)
were met. Specifically, the 2 diff test was not statistically
significant (␹2 (12) = 26.06, p > .01), the differences in RMSEA
were lower than .01, and the differences in CFI and NNFI

Table 2 Item description and corrected item-total correlations.

Item number and description Corrected
item-total
correlation
1. Mis pensamientos me causan angustia o dolor emocional [My thoughts cause me distress or emotional .76
pain].
2. Me quedo tan enganchado a mis pensamientos que no soy capaz de hacer las cosas que más quiero hacer .79
[I get so caught up in my thoughts that I am unable to do the things that I most want to do].
3. Analizo las situaciones demasiado, hasta el punto en que no me resulta útil [I over-analyze situations .73
to the point where it’s unhelpful to me].
4. Lucho contra mis pensamientos [I struggle with my thoughts]. .77
5. Me enfado conmigo mismo por tener determinados pensamientos [I get upset with myself for having .78
certain thoughts].
6. Tiendo a enredarme mucho en mis pensamientos [I tend to get very entangled in my thoughts]. .82
7. Me resulta muy difícil dejar pasar lo pensamientos molestos incluso cuando sé que hacerlo me ayudaría .77
[It’s such a struggle to let go of upsetting thoughts even when I know that letting go would be helpful].
Psychometric properties of the CFQ in Colombia 85

Table 3 Cronbach’s alphas and descriptive data across samples.

Sample 1: Sample 2: Sample 3: Overall
Undergraduates General population Clinical sample
(N = 762) online (N = 277) (N = 1763)
(N = 724)
Alpha 95% CI .89 .93 .93 .93
[.88, .90] [.93, .94] [.92, .94] [.92, .93]
Mean score (SD) 20.87 23.80 31.53 23.75
(8.70) (10.36) (10.86) (10.41)

were higher than −.01. All criteria were also met in rela-
Table 4 Pearson correlations between the CFQ scores and
tion to measurement invariance across gender (␹2 (6) = 7.99,
other relevant self-report measures.
p > .01).
Measure S N r with CFQ
AAQ-II 1 762 .76*
Internal consistency, descriptive data and criterion 2 724 .84*
validity 3 277 .81*
DASS-21 --- Depression 1 762 .57*
Table 2 shows that Cronbach’s alpha of the CFQ ranged from 2 724 .70*
.89 (Sample 1) to .93 (Sample 3), with an overall alpha of 3 277 .66*
.93. Corrected item-total correlations of the CFQ ranged
from .67 to .72 in Sample 1, from .76 to .80 in Sample 2, DASS-21 --- Anxiety 1 762 .49*
and from .73 to .85 in Sample 3. Table 3 shows the original 2 724 .60*
items, their translation into Spanish, and corrected item- 3 277 .58*
total correlations for the overall sample. DASS-21 --- Stress 1 762 .53*
The mean score of men (M = 19.90, SD = 8.21) in 2 724 .63*
Sample 1 was slightly lower than that of women 3 277 .68*
(M = 21.49, SD = 8.94), with a statistically significant dif-
SWLS 1 762 −.36*
ference (t = −2.46, p = .014). No statistically significant
2 724 −.52*
differences (t = 1.86, p = .06) were found in Sample 2
3 277 −.53*
between men (M = 25.05, SD = 10.30) and women (M = 23.36,
SD = 10.35). Likewise, no statistically significant differences MAAS 1 762 −.34*
were found in Sample 3 with relation to sex (men: M = 30.43, DAS-R 1 762 .40*
SD = 11.87; women: M = 32.20, SD = 10.24; t = −1.23, p = .22). Note: AAQ-II: Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II; CFQ:
The mean score of participants in the clinical sample (Sam- Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire; DAS-R: Dysfunctional Attitude
ple 3) was higher than those of participants in Sample 1 Scale-Revised; DASS: Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales-21;
(t = −14.71, p < .001) and Sample 2 (t = −10.42, p < .001). MAAS: Mindful Attention Awareness Scale; SWLS: Satisfaction
with Life Scale.
* p < .001.

Pearson correlations with other related constructs

The CFQ showed correlations with all the other assessed
constructs in theoretically coherent ways (see Table 4).
Specifically, the CFQ showed positive correlations with
psychological inflexibility (AAQ-II), depression, anxiety,
and stress symptoms (DASS-21), and dysfunctional atti-
tudes; and negative correlations with mindful awareness
(MAAS), and satisfaction with life (SWLS).
Sensitivity to treatment
In Sample 4, the participants’ mean score in the last baseline
assessment was 30.27 (SD = 7.56), whereas the mean score at
the 6-week follow-up was 19.36 (SD = 7.63). The difference
was statistically significant and with a very large effect size
(t = 6.23, p < .001, d = 1.89).
Discussion
In order to advance in the research of the ACT model, several
attempts to measure cognitive fusion have been proposed
during the last years such as the BAFT and CFQ. The CFQ
has the advantage that it is a general measure of cogni-
tive fusion. Although a Spanish version of the CFQ already
existed, its psychometric properties were explored only in
a small sample of caregivers in Spain. Accordingly, the cur-
rent study aimed to analyze the psychometric properties and
factor structure of the CFQ in Colombia after conducting a
small pilot study to enhance the cultural sensitivity of the
Spanish version.
The data obtained showed that this Spanish version of the
CFQ had good psychometric properties in Colombia. Specif-
ically, the CFQ showed construct validity to the extent that
factor analysis showed the same one-factor solution as in
86
Gillanders et al. (2014). Criteria for measurement invariance
across gender and samples (undergraduates, general popu-
lation, and clinical participants) were completely met. The
internal consistency of the CFQ was very good with an over-
all alpha of .93 and it showed criterion validity to the extent
that its scores discriminated between clinical and nonclini-
cal samples. The instrument also showed convergent validity
in view of the positive correlations found with psychological
inflexibility and emotional symptoms, and the negative cor-
relations with mindfulness and life satisfaction. Lastly, the
CFQ was shown to be sensitive to the effect of a 1-session
ACT intervention with people suffering from problematic
worry and rumination.
Some limitations of this study are worth mentioning.
Firstly, no systematic information was obtained concerning
the specific diagnosis in clinical participants, as they were
categorized in broad categories such as emotional and sex-
ual disorders. Secondly, some of the instruments used to
explore the convergent and divergent validity of the CFQ
lacked formal validation in Colombian samples (DASS-21 and
SWLS). However, their internal consistencies were adequate
and similar to the ones obtained in the original language vali-
dation studies. Thirdly, the percentage of women was higher
across all samples. However, statistical analyses showed
that measurement invariance analyses showed that CFQ was
invariant across gender.
In addition to showing the adequacy of measurement of
the CFQ in the Colombian population, the data presented
here adds to the growing body of research that shows the
cross cultural relevance of the concept of cognitive fusion.
Measure development and theory development proceed
hand in hand: when we have good measures we can test the
boundary conditions of a theory. One such boundary condi-
tion is the applicability of a model across diverse cultural
and ethnic contexts. The CFQ has been reviewed by peers,
and it has shown to have good psychometric properties in
English (Gillanders et al., 2014), Spanish (Romero-Moreno
et al., 2014), Catalan (Solé et al., in press), Chinese (Wei-
Chen, Yang, Li, Hui-Na, & Zhuo-Hong, 2014), and versions are
currently under review in French (Dionne et al., in press).
Furthermore, whilst not yet available in peer reviewed
journals, data has been presented in conference presen-
tations and on the Association for Contextual Behavioural
Science website at www.contextualscience.org/CFQ. These
data describe versions in Italian (Dell’Orco, Prevedini, Oppo,
Presti, & Moderato, 2012), Dutch, Farsi, Turkish, Polish,
and Greek. The data now gathered across several countries
shows that cognitive fusion appears to be an important
construct related to psychological disorder and behavioral
influence and that it can be considered to be broadly appli-
cable across diverse cultures, languages and problem areas.
In conclusion, this Spanish version of the CFQ can be used
to measure cognitive fusion in Colombia according to the
reliability and validity data provided in this study. Cognitive
fusion appears to be an important process that is widely
applicable.
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